My Narnia
by Destiel0205
Summary: ABANDONED! 10-year-old Arthur is tired of living under his father's control. He makes a meager attempt at running away and goes to the park. There he meets another kid his age, who's name is Merlin. The two become friends, but after Merlin moves away, will they meet again? Summary may change, the plot is warping as I write. Eventual merthur, modern au,
1. New Friend

**Hi! So, I know you're all disappointed in me for just making a one-shot a little bit ago, so here you are! A new series, yay! Anyway, I was reading a Phanfiction when this popped into my head. I didn't even try to make this British. Let's just pretend they live in America, yeah? I hope it's okay! The next chapter will be up tomorrow or sooner, because I've already written it. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Merlin, Arthur, Uther, or really any of the characters in this. I also (obviously) do not own The Chronicles of Narnia.**

* * *

It was a perfectly ordinary summer day. The sun was shining, and there was not a cloud to be seen.

A 10-year-old boy was sitting on his bed reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. He loved the idea of an entire world hidden in a wardrobe. It gave him hope that one day he might escape from his father's control and find his own Narnia.

The blonde boy heard footsteps in the hallway outside his room, and rushed to hide his book, but it was too late.

Uther stormed in, wearing a full suit. He must have just gotten back from work. The boy glanced at the clock; sure enough, it read "6:15". He knew what was coming next, and it was all because he'd been too stupid to check the time.

"Arthur, what did I tell you about _reading_?" He hissed the word as if it were a curse.

"I-it's f-for g-g-girls, s-sir," Arthur replied meekly, slowly backing as far against the wall as possible. His bed was in the corner of his small room for a reason, and this was it. He'd moved it there after a bad experience of falling of the bed because he thought he could back up a little more.

"That's right, son. And stop that stuttering, It makes you seem weak. Give me that," Uther demanded. Arthur reluctantly picked up his book and stretched his arm out as far as possible. He wanted to stay as far from his father as possible.

Uther left with a determined look in his eyes, slamming the door behind him.

Once Arthur was sure he wasn't coming back, the boy grabbed his backpack and packed a flashlight and a bag of chips. He pulled his jacket on, even though it wasn't cold out. It made him feel more secure. He put the hood up and the backpack on before slowly opening the door.

Arthur poked his head around to see if his father was in the hallway. He wasn't, so Arthur turned his gaze to his father's room. The light was seeping through the crack between the door and the carpet, so Arthur thought it safe to assume his father was in his room. The boy crept down the hallway, attempting to blend into the darkness.

On the way out, Arthur made sure to pick his book out of the trash can in the kitchen. He put it in his backpack with care before running as fast as he could in the direction of the park.

* * *

When he reached his destination, Arthur saw that his favorite spot on the bench nearest to the forest was occupied. This worried him. Arthur had held back his tears since his father had left the room, and he couldn't do it for much longer. The blonde really didn't like the idea of letting his tears spill in front of this stranger, but he couldn't do it anymore. His eyes hurt, and he just needed a good cry.

Arthur stopped and sat behind the bench, right on the edge of the forest. He felt the tell-tale tickle running down his cheek, and knew that it was too late. When the first sob escaped from his lips, the boy on the bench turned around.

He looked about Arthur's age and had very dark brown or black hair. It was hard to tell in the fading light. Arthur could see his eyes, though, and they were a wonderful shade of blue-green. Arthur's own were bright blue, but he preferred the eyes of this boy.

"What's wrong?" The boy asked, standing up and facing Arthur. He only shook his head. Arthur didn't like sharing his pain with others; it wasn't fair to them.

The boy walked towards Arthur and sat cross-legged in front of him. "It's okay, you can tell me. I want to help."

"D-d-d-d-don't w-w-ant to h-hurt y-y-you," Arthur managed through his sobs.

"Hey, hey, it's fine. I can take it," the boy promised, his hand resting comfortingly on Arthur's shoulder.

"Ok-k-kay, I-I'll t-tell y-y-you," Arthur decided, eliciting a smile from the other boy. "M-my f-father c-caught me r-reading today. H-he d-doesn't l-like it when I r-read. H-he s-says it's f-for g-g-g-irls."

"Reading isn't for girls! Reading is for everyone, and if your dad doesn't read, then he's not very smart. My mom always says that reading makes you smart!" Arthur decided he liked this boy, and his mom. "What book were you reading?"

Rather than trying to answer with words and stuttering so much that it's incomprehensible, Arthur thought it best to pull the book out of his backpack. He saw the boy looking at his flashlight and chips, but noticed he didn't say anything.

As soon as the book was in the boy's view, his eyes lit up and he ran back to the bench. Arthur wasn't worried that he'd leave, because the boy had only been nice so far, and Arthur hoped they could become friends.

When the boy returned, he had a book in his hands. As Arthur read the title, he felt a smile tugging at his lips. It was The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe!

Arthur lifted his eyes to meet those of the other boy, both with matching smiles on their faces. It was the boy who finally spoke. "By the way, I'm Merlin."

"I'm Arthur," he responded, then realized that he hadn't stuttered. He'd stuttered at least once per sentence for as long as he could remember! "I-I d-didn't st-st-stutter!" _So much for that, _Arthur thought.

The boy held back a laugh by covering his mouth, but Arthur could see the amusement in his eyes. "Well, Arthur, I think we should both go home. It's getting really dark."

Arthur almost told him that he wasn't planning on ever going home, but then he realized that if he didn't go home, he'd have to go far away from his town, and that meant far away from Merlin. He didn't want to leave Merlin, so he nodded, but then he shook his head because he didn't want to leave yet. Merlin seemed to understand, and he smiled. Arthur smiled back.


	2. Fire Aslan

**Here's chapter two! I'm writing ch 3 right now, so it might be up later today! If not, then it'll definitely be up by tomorrow. If I make any spelling or grammar mistakes, don't hesitate to let me know. Please read, review, favorite, and/or follow!**

* * *

Arthur and Merlin had been chatting for a while, neither wanting to go home just yet. After a lot of talking about whatever came to mind, Arthur decided to ask Merlin something serious.

"Wh-why are y-y-you h-here?"

Merlin paled for a moment before regaining his composure. "I, uh, needed a break. I needed to go somewhere I can do whatever I want. My mom doesn't let me use my gift. She says she doesn't want people to find out. That's why we moved."

"Wh-what's y-your g-g-gift, M-Merlin?" Arthur asked, genuinely curious. He also wanted to change the subject, as Merlin didn't seem too comfortable talking about his family. Arthur could tell the other boy was hiding something, but he didn't want to pry.

"Want me to show you?" Merlin offered, and Arthur nodded enthusiastically.

Merlin held his hand out in front of him, and Arthur stared eagerly, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, Merlin's eyes turned gold, and a flame formed in his palm. Arthur was terrified, not wanting Merlin to burn himself. Merlin chuckled a little and placed a finger to his lips, gesturing for Arthur to be quiet.

The flame in Merlin's hand slowly morphed into the shape of a lion, and when it roared, a spurt of flames spread from its mouth. "Get it?" Merlin questioned, looking up, and Arthur met his gaze. "It's Aslan, from your book. He's made of fire because he can defeat the Ice Queen."

If it were physically possible, Arthur was sure that his jaw would be touching the grass he was sitting on. Little did he know Merlin had more tricks up his sleeve. The boy's eyes shone gold once again, and Fire Aslan jumped off of his hand. The little lion walked over to Arthur, growing rapidly as he did so. By the time he hopped in his lap, the little lion was the size of a pet cat. The blonde was expecting pain, but he only felt comforting warmth radiating from the Fire Aslan. It started to purr, and all Arthur wanted to do was pet it. He looked to Merlin, who had seemingly read his thoughts. Merlin gestured for Arthur to go ahead, and he slowly brought his hand down upon the fire. The same comforting warmth on his lap now blossomed in his hands, and Arthur didn't think he'd ever been happier than he was in that moment.

He didn't know how long he'd sat there petting Fire Aslan, but when he looked up, Merlin was falling asleep where he stood. Arthur chuckled softly. "W-we c-can g-g-go h-home n-now, if y-you w-want."

Merlin looked up and smiled. "So you decided to go home tonight?" Arthur looked down in shame, and Merlin shook his head. "I didn't mean to look at your stuff, but even if you were going to run away, you'd need much more than that. How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm ten, but my birthday's in a few days," Arthur answered. He knew his birthday wouldn't be a big deal. His father never threw him a party, and he's never had any friends, so it never made any sense.

"Cool! I just turned eleven the other day! That means we're both going into 6th grade next month!" Arthur nodded. He was scared of middle school because he's heard that everything changes. "Where do you live?"

Arthur pointed in the general direction of his house, and Merlin nodded, pointing in the opposite direction.

"I live over there. We should arrange a time to meet here, like, every other day or something," Merlin suggested.

Arthur smiled and proposed, "M-maybe a-after w-we g-g-go to b-bed. I s-snuck out t-today. Wh-what about y-you?"

"Yeah, me too. Think you could do it again?" Merlin asked.

"E-easy," Arthur smiled.

"Okay then, see you at the same time the day after tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah."

Merlin and Arthur stood up, and Arthur wanted to hug the other boy to thank him for all he'd done, but he wasn't sure if Merlin would want him to. That it, until Merlin reached his arms out and hugged him. Arthur couldn't remember ever being hugged by anyone else. He was certain he had been when he was little, but not since then, and _definitely _not by his father.

He stood there awkwardly for a moment before realizing he should probably be hugging Merlin back.

The two separated, ready to head in opposite directions when a small roar from something near their feet reminded them of Fire Aslan.

Merlin smiled, saying, "You can keep him, Arthur. Well, he'll be sort of like a statue when I'm not around because I can't keep him moving very easily from far away. But you should bring him every time we meet here, and we can play with him!"

Arthur reached down and picked up Fire Aslan, holding him as your would a cat. He smiled a wide smile, and nodded, saying, "G-goodnight, M-Merlin!"

"Goodnight Arthur!" Merlin called, his grin rivaling Arthur's own. Arthur was confused; Merlin seemed to be happy simply because Arthur was! His father was always mad when Arthur was happy.

Arthur waved to Merlin, turning around to go home. As he walked, Fire Aslan's movements became slower and stiffer until finally he settled into a sleeping position.

When Arthur reached his house, he slipped in unnoticed by his sleeping father. He crept into his room and took off his backpack, putting the chips and flashlight away. He took off his jacket and dumped it on the floor; ready for the next time he goes to the park to see Merlin. He hoped they would still be friends when school starts, because then Arthur would have someone to talk to! He usually sat on his own or talked to the teacher.

Arthur quickly got ready for bed, placing Fire Aslan on his bedside table. As his eyes drifted shut, the boy thought of only happy things like his book and Merlin. That night he had the best sleep he'd had in all of his ten years.


	3. First Day of School

**So, yeah, here's chapter three. Nothing special really. Enjoy reliving your past (or imagining your future) first day of 6th grade/middle school/junior high!**

* * *

Arthur Pendragon sat up in bed as soon as his alarm went off. It was the first day of 6th grade. He was excited because this year Merlin was going to his school, and they had to have at least _some _classes together.

He quickly got up and got dressed, barely restraining himself from running to the kitchen. His father was sitting at the table, which he didn't expect. Normally he'd be gone to work at this time. It was almost 7:30!

"Ah, Arthur. I trust you don't have that book in your backpack?" Uther asked, referring to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

"N-no, s-sir," Arthur replied.

"Good. Have a seat, son. I made bacon and eggs for your first day." Arthur was surprised. His father never did anything for him, especially cook. Ever since Arthur was old enough to, he'd been making his own food.

Arthur sat down in the chair closest to the door, ready for a quick exit so he could get to the bus stop before 8:00. He ate his food quickly, not uttering another word to his father.

When he was done, he grabbed his backpack and walked to the door. As he was twisting the doorknob, his father said, "Try not to talk too much. If you do talk, don't stutter. You won't make any friends if they can't understand you." Uther had always wanted his son to make more friends and be popular, but Arthur found that to be increasingly difficult as he got older.

Arthur nodded briskly and went out the door. The moment he heard it close behind him and felt the wind on his face, Arthur smiled. Just this simple freedom made him happy, and the smile stayed on his face until he reached the bus stop.

In all his excitement, Arthur had forgotten about Cenred and Cedric. Cenred was the biggest bully in the school, and Cedric was his suck-up companion.

The two were sitting on the bench, taking up the entire thing. That left Arthur with no place to sit, but he was used to it. He walked slowly, trying not to draw attention to himself.

"Hey, Pendragon!" _Too late, _Arthur thought. He remained silent, although he didn't try to hide anymore. "I _said, _'Hey, Pendragon!'"

It was definitely too late now, and Arthur had to say something, or Cenred would keep yelling. "W-what d-d-do y-you w-want?"

"What do I want? Did you hear that Cedric? He asked what I want!" Cenred elbowed Cedric, who let out a chuckle at Arthur's expense. Cenred turned to Arthur again, finally answering, "I think you know what I want. Come on, kid, hand over the money."

Arthur should have seen this coming. It'd been the same for the past few years. Cenred and Cedric were two years older than him, so the past two years had been better. They were in the middle school while Arthur was in elementary, but this year they'd all be in the same school.

Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out the $5 bill he was supposed to use to pay for his lunch. He held it out in his hand, and Cenred reached forward and took it, a smirk on his face.

Just in time, the bus appeared. If it had taken any longer, Cenred probably would have done more than just take his money.

When the doors opened, Arthur hung behind, not wanting to make Cenred or Cedric angry. As soon as he had a clear view of the seats, Arthur started loving for Merlin. When he spotted him, Merlin met his gaze and smiled. The spot next to him was empty, no doubt being saved for Arthur, but Cedric got there first.

Merlin shot Arthur an apologetic look, and the blonde started looking for another place to sit. There was one, but it was all the way in the back with the 8th graders and the high school kids, where Cedric should be sitting.

Suddenly, Merlin smirked and his eyes turned gold. Arthur looked around for what he might have done, and his eyes fell on Cedric. The boy was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Finally, he exclaimed, "It's wet here!" and got up to go to the empty seat in the back. Arthur looked at the spot next to Merlin, which now had a small puddle of water in it. Merlin looked down, his eyes glowing gold again, and the puddle disappeared. Arthur smiled gratefully, taking a seat.

"Y-you d-didn't have t-to do th-that," Arthur told Merlin, but the other boy shook his head, a gleeful smirk plastered on his face.

"It was funny, wasn't it?" Arthur couldn't deny that it was funny. Cedric definitely deserved it. "Hey, let's compare our schedules! I want to see what classes I have with you!"

Arthur nodded, taking his backpack off and setting it on his lap. He opened the main pouch and pulled out his class schedule. It read:

_Band - Ms. Cowan_

_Art - Mr. Adamson_

_Reading - Mrs. O'Ryan_

_Math - Ms. Duncan_

_Science - Mr. Wells_

_Comm. Arts - Mrs. Harrison_

_Social Studies - Mr. Matthews_

Merlin smiled wide when he saw Arthur's schedule, pulling out his own. It read:

_Robotics - Ms. Kovak_

_Art - Mr. Adamson_

_Reading - Mrs. O'Ryan_

_Social Studies - Mr. Matthews_

_Science - Mr. Wells_

_Comm. Arts - Mrs. Harrison_

_Math - Ms. Duncan_

"We've got art, reading, science, and comm. arts together!" Merlin exclaimed. Arthur was happy that they had so many classes together, but he wasn't exactly happy about the classes he didn't share with Merlin.

"W-what is y-y-you l-locker n-number?" Arthur asked. He wanted to know if their lockers were close together. They'd be spending time at each other's lockers anyway, but it would be better if they were in the same vicinity.

"Mine's 172. What about you?"

"I-it's 171! W-we're r-right n-n-next to e-each other!" Arthur was very excited. From what he'd heard about middle school, there was a lot of bullying in the hallways. Merlin had protected him before, so he'd do it again!

Before he knew it, the bus pulled up to the school, and the two boys got off, walking towards the school. The main doors stood menacingly in front of Arthur, and he wasn't going to lie, he was scared. However, he knew that with Merlin by his side, He'd be okay.


	4. Art Project

**Hi! Enjoy the rest of Arthur's first day of 6th grade (yay more painful reminiscing).**

* * *

Arthur's first class was band, and he didn't have it with Merlin. The two temporarily parted ways after having a chat at their lockers.

When Arthur walked into the band room, the first thing he saw was the table with instruments sitting on it. When he signed up for band, Arthur hadn't thought about what instrument he would play. In hindsight, that probably wasn't such a good idea.

"Hello there," Arthur turned around when he heard an annoyingly high-pitched voice.

"H-hi," he replied.

"What's your name, and what instrument are you playing?" She asked.

"M-my n-name's A-Arthur P-P-Pendragon and, uhhh…" He trailed off, thinking. _What will I be good at? What will Father hate me playing?_ "I th-think I w-want t-to p-p-play the c-clarinet."

"Oh, what a magnificent choice! Have a seat over there, and we'll get you your very own clarinet soon."

Arthur knew his father was going to have to pay for it, and then he'd see that his son had chosen a 'girly' instrument. He could have chosen the flute, but he didn't think it'd suit him.

The rest of band class was mostly boring and learning the basics, and Arthur was glad when it was over. Next he had art with Merlin, and he couldn't wait!

* * *

When Arthur walked into the art room, the first thing he did was look for Merlin. He was excited to finally have a class with his first (and only) friend!

When he spotted him in the back corner at an empty table, Arthur called out, "H-hey, M-Merlin!" A few other kids turned to look at him in confusion, as most of them had never heard Arthur talk before. He used to never talk, just like his father said, because people wouldn't like him if he stuttered. But Merlin had given him the courage to talk out loud again, instead of having silent conversations with the wall.

"Hi, Arthur. You can sit next to me!" Merlin patted the seat next to him, and Arthur rushed over to sit. Once he was seated, Merlin asked, "How was band? What instrument did you choose?"

"I-it w-was ok-kay. I'm p-playing th-the c-clarinet!" Arthur responded, a smile on his face. He liked that Merlin made him talk, rather than just ignoring him and pretending he didn't exist like everyone else. "H-how w-was r-robotics?"

"I dunno. I like the concept of it, I guess, but Ms. Kovak isn't a very good teacher. I like art better, anyway," Merlin answered smoothly. Arthur had suspicions about Ms. Kovak based on stories about her from the older kids that he'd overheard, so that didn't come as much of a surprise. He was going to ask Merlin about his writing when Mr. Adamson called for their attention.

"Alright, class! It looks like everyone is here, so let's begin. Now, most teachers like to start a new year with simple activities, waiting until later to start a project. I like to be different, so we're going to start a project today!" There was a collective groan from the students forced to take this class, and scattered cheering from the art fanatics. Merlin and Arthur both stayed silent, observing the reactions of others. It was how they learned.

"Anyway, our project will be self-portraits. I know what you're all thinking. 'Self-portraits? Seriously? That's _so _boring!' Well, don't be so quick to judge, because these self-portraits have a twist. You'll need a partner-" Mr. Adamson was cut off by a flurry of students begging others to be their partners, while Arthur simply looked at his best friend seated next to him, finding the dark-haired boy already looking at him. Both of their faces broke into smiles, and Arthur once again thanked fate for letting him meet this boy. Before he had Merlin, Arthur would always get stuck whoever was left in group projects, and if there were an odd number of students, he usually had to work with the teacher.

Mr. Adamson cleared his throat, trying to regain the attention of the class. "The twist of the self-portraits is that you'll be painting your partner doing his or her favorite activity. To begin, I want you all to take notes and start on a sketch. Alright, begin!"

Arthur turned to Merlin, who was already getting out his sketch pad. He ripped out a piece and handed it to Arthur, along with a pencil. "Th-thanks. Wh-what's y-your f-f-favorite a-activity?"

Merlin looked thoughtful, staring at the wall behind Arthur. "Art. So, you could draw me drawing the drawing of me drawing. It would be like art-ception." Arthur laughed. He liked that idea a lot, it was funny. As he wrote it down, he asked, "What about your favorite activity?"

"Y-you sh-should b-b-be able t-to answer th-this one. I-it's r-reading," Arthur answered without hesitation.

"Okay then!" Merlin wrote Arthur's answer on the paper in front of him before starting on the sketch. When Arthur leaned over to look, Merlin covered it up. "No peeking! It's a surprise!"

Arthur chuckled a little, but he complied, and went to work on his own sketch.

* * *

After art, Merlin and Arthur walked to reading together. When the teacher announced that they'd be reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a class, the pair looked to each other and grinned.

When reading was over, they split up, as Arthur had math and Merlin had social studies. Arthur was bored all through math because it was all too easy, and Merlin wasn't there for him to talk to.

They were back together for science, one of Merlin's favorite subjects. Mr. Wells was a nice teacher, but Arthur's favorite so far was definitely Mr. Adamson.

After science, they had comm. arts together, which Arthur actually found himself enjoying! He knew he liked reading, and it was nice to get a glimpse into the other side of the process.

Then Arthur went to social studies while Merlin had math, and he was bored out of his mind. As soon as class was over, Arthur rushed to his locker to meet Merlin. The dark-haired boy was already standing by his locker, and he smiled when he saw Arthur. "Ready to go?" Merlin asked.

"Mmhmm. W-will y-you s-s-sit w-with m-me on the b-bus again t-today?" Arthur asked tentatively.

"Of course! Why are you even asking?" Merlin said, and Arthur just smiled. That smile stayed on his lips the whole was way home.


	5. What's Wrong?

**Hi guys! Sorry this chapter's a little late, I've been driving back from New Jersey all day. I'll try to get tomorrow's up before noon central time, but no promises! Enjoy!**

* * *

It had been a little over a month since that first day of school, and Arthur's life had greatly improved. His father rarely bothered him anymore, preferring to pretend he didn't exist.

Despite his efforts, Arthur hadn't made any friends aside from Merlin. He'd tried, but it was too difficult. Everyone thought he was weird.

When Arthur sat down next to Merlin on the bus that day, he noticed the other boy's eyes were glossy like he'd been crying. "Wh-what's wrong?" He asked.

"I'll tell you later," Merlin mumbled, so quietly that Arthur barely heard. It was unusual for the dark-haired boy to be quiet; he usually shouted all of his opinions for the world to hear. Arthur nodded in reluctant agreement. He wanted to know now, but he could understand Merlin's hesitation. There were a lot of people on the bus, and if Merlin didn't want to be overheard, it was definitely not the best place to talk.

* * *

Arthur spent the rest of the day trailing awkwardly behind Merlin. He wanted to talk, but Merlin wouldn't. Art was the only class that he seemed like himself in. Over the past month, they'd been working on their project, and they were almost done!

Arthur wasn't ashamed to admit that his half looked a lot worse than Merlin's. Merlin's side had an incredibly accurate depiction of Arthur reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, complete with 'their' park in the background. Arthur's side had a not-so-great interpretation of Merlin painting the painting of Merlin painting the painting of Merlin painting… ect.

Arthur was so focused on painting that when Merlin suddenly spoke up, he physically jumped. "We need to finish today," Merlin said simply.

"Wh-what? Wh-why?" Arthur asked, panicking. He was nowhere near done. There were so many details and- _Whoa, calm down. Just let him explain._

"I, uh, don't want to tell you yet," Merlin answered, still not meeting Arthur's eyes.

Arthur didn't bother responding, only shaking his head and going back to work. He knew something was wrong, but without knowing what, he couldn't help. Regardless of that, Arthur worked extra hard that day and actually finished his side. Merlin did the same, and they were the first ones to finish. It didn't feel right, though. Merlin didn't even smile.

* * *

It was after all their classes were over that Merlin finally said something. Arthur had resumed his awkward not-next-to-but-still-walking-with position. Merlin turned around, finally meeting Arthur's gaze. His teal eyes were sad, and Arthur really wanted to fix that.

"Could you meet me at the park today? I know it's not our usual day, but I need to talk."

"Y-yeah, of c-course," Arthur replied. He was glad that Merlin was going to talk. "Wh-what t-time? S-same as a-always?"

"Yeah," Merlin replied, and the two climbed onto the bus.

* * *

The ride home was silent, and when Arthur got home, he just wanted to fast-forward to 9:00. That was when he usually left to go see Merlin in the park on Fridays. When school started, they'd stopped going every other day because they saw each other at school. Fridays were the best option because they could stay as long as they liked because there was no school in the morning.

However, he didn't have the power of time travel, so Arthur was going to be alone and bored until his father got back. Then he'd be alone, bored, _and _criticized.

Arthur got home around three, so he had about three hours until his father showed up. Of course, he had to make dinner before that. Or did he? It was always very confusing, because if Arthur cooked, he was called a girl and scolded for doing feminine things, but if he didn't, he was called useless and scolded for being lazy.

Oh well. He didn't have to worry about that right now. Instead, Arthur did his homework. It was nice and simple, but he couldn't focus; he was too worried about Merlin. What if he was hurt? What if someone in his family died? There were so many 'what if's running through Arthur's mind, and they were making it increasingly difficult to do three-digit multiplication.

After an hour of torturous worrying, Arthur finally finished his homework. He was left with two hours until his father came home. He hadn't decided if he'd cook or not, but he decided to leave space for it, about an hour, which left another hour to do whatever.

Arthur had long since finished The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, but he hadn't read anything since then. School took up most of his time, and he spent the rest with Merlin. So, he decided to do some research on Merlin's 'gift'. It really intrigued him, and although he'd seen many demonstrations, he never got much of an explanation.

Arthur walked into his father's office and took the laptop. He carried it into his own room, and sat on the bed. He reached over and grabbed Fire Aslan, mostly out of habit. The tiny lion had become one of Arthur's favorite things in life, second only to Merlin.

Arthur opened Internet Explorer, cursing internally at his father's reluctance to download Google Chrome. Even Firefox would be better than this.

After waiting for it to load (which took a while), Arthur typed "Gold eyes magic" into the search bar. Merlin never called it magic, but it's what Arthur always called it in his mind. He knew not to just search for "magic" because it would all be fictional.

After scrolling for almost the full hour, Arthur frustrated shut the laptop, resisting the urge to throw it on the ground. No matter what he searched, it was all fictional!

Arthur sat on his bed for a few minutes before he realized he'd forgotten the most important part of doing research on magic on his father's laptop: clearing the internet history.

* * *

After returning his father's laptop, Arthur thought about what to make for dinner. He was tired of his father's complaining, so he decided to compromise and order pizza. He got one cheese pizza, which was all they'd need, especially for just the two of them.

When Uther came home, there was pizza on the table, a stack of plates and napkins next to it. Arthur was sitting patiently on the couch. He didn't want to know what would happen if he tried to eat before his father had his first bite.

They ate in silence, and as soon as he was done, Arthur ran off to his room. However, he didn't go unnoticed. "And just where do you think you're going?" his father asked, and Arthur panicked a little.

"I-I'm j-j-just g-going t-to b-bed," he stuttered.

Uther sighed, "As long as you don't bother me," and went to his room. That was it. No 'goodnight', no 'sweet dreams', no anything. Arthur was used to it, though, and as soon as he got to his room, he picked up Fire Aslan and climbed out the window to see Merlin.


	6. Sorry Everyone

**I'm _so_ sorry, guys. I have no excuse for not updating, except that I had NO inspiration. I've decided to abandon this fic, but if anyone wants to continue it, they can. Again, I'm sorry. Now, if you want to know what I was going to make happen, scroll down. If you don't, well, don't.**

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**This should be far enough ;)**

Anyway, Merlin was going to have to move away because his mom (Hunith) figured out that Arthur knew about Merlin's magic. Fast forward to when they're both in their mid-twenties and out of college. Merlin is an artist, but Arthur became a business man like his father. He'd wanted to be an author, but his dad didn't let him. Because he was forced to grow up without Merlin, Arthur's personality had turned sour, and he was as mean as Uther. The two run into each other again, and, basically, Merlin fixes Arthur. They end up living happily ever after. The end.


End file.
